Back in 2013, I wrote a column recommending
that many of us be tested for hepatitis C. At that time, the Centers
for Disease Control and Prevention and the U.S. Preventive Services Task
Force had recommended that all baby boomers (those born between 1945
and 1965) should be screened for the hepatitis C virus (HCV). I was
tested at that time and was negative.
Unlike some things I
have experienced in medical care, I was able to find out the price of
the test right away. For me, it was $89. (Since I was having a test for
something else, there were no other fees, like a phlebotomy charge for
getting my blood drawn.) Then, I waited for more than a week to get the
result.

If you test positive, the HCV evaluation and treatment is becoming
simpler and may cure you. It should be started immediately. If the test
is negative, you do not need to be tested again for a long time, if
ever.